I have visited this place many times, I keep visiting in the hope that on my next visit I will find that it isn't as bad as I remembered, although I know that many people love it, and that is fine.
To set the scene, I should tell you that this is set in a minute hamlet of no more than six or seven houses, all ranged along one side of a lane which leads to nowhere else.
In the 1860's it was 'restored' in a very unusual way.
I was hoping to be able to show you the interior. Once seen, never forgotten. But no, despite the sign, the church was locked.
The exterior is fine, with a very tall medieval churchyard cross which is a listed monument in its own right.
The Victorian restoration involved Minton tiles, lots of them. I hadn't read about it when I first visited and I can still feel the shock of that first sighting.
Can you tell that I don't like the look?
I am glad to say that I am not alone. Sir John Betjeman was Poet Laureate from 1972-84, he was also passionate about churches. He described the interior as resembling a Victorian public loo, on account of the encaustic tiles used to decorate the chancel apse.
These interior shots of the apse were taken several years ago, luckily I was able to find them on one of my old blogs.
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| An old photograph which I took years ago. |
Another church enthusiast - Rev. Henry Thorold (I will write a post on him another day) described it as "all shining and polychromatic like a Turkish Bath."
Hundreds of tiles, banded brick walls, tiled floor...
It is busy, I find it too 'noisy', it screeches around my head and assaults my eyes with too many shapes and colours. When I have an occular migraine, the shape which dances through my sight is exactly like the arched shape of those windows. It is like a migraine waiting to happen.
The story goes that the tower was practically all that remained of the church when a wealthy landed man decided to have it restored and made in part a mausoleum for his family. He did it as a tribute to his parents, they had loved the place.
It does make me wonder what they would have thought to his efforts, but I try to remember that it was done with love and the best of intentions...
He even went so far as to have the remains of several members of his family moved there from Harrogate. By the 2000's it had fallen into disrepair again, it was in a terrible condition. £350,000 was spent on restoring it.
What do you think - the Victorian public loo, or a Turkish bath? 😐
Well, I've never seen a Victoria public loo, so I'll go with Turkish bath. LOL (not my cup of tea, either.)
ReplyDeleteThat will do nicely!
DeleteMaybe the floor on it's own might have been OK but the rest is certainly a bit too busy. Hope you get in for more photos sometime
ReplyDeleteI was so disappointed! I don't often go out that way, but it is on my list for some time in the autumn.
DeleteI suppose it is 'his mausoleum'. and if he wishes to be spun off into the eternal universe with such visual emphasis, well, it's 'his' mausoleum. Even left the funds to keep it up. I'm impressed, especially when I'm on the other side of the view.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Joanne. I finished the post in a rush (teatime for the grandchildren, no food on the table!) I should have said that the more recent repairs were paid for by The Churches Conservation Trust - they are a charity - and they describe the church as 'exquisite', so what do I know!
DeleteElaine,
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was meant to be easily cleaned. It looks like it could be hosed down. Are there floor drains, strategically located, to eliminate mopping?
Okay, just kidding.
Hello Brett, It does look rather that way - mops at the ready! I suppose I check it all out with a kind of horrified fascination, thinking that it cannot possibly be as bad as I remember. The family bodies are under that floor, no way am I volunteering to check out the drainage!
DeleteYour blog is getting to be even more fun, to come to, than it has been!
ReplyDeleteIt's a surprise, to see how your blog will appear, on my screen!
Today, it's delightfully large! :-))))
Now to read your post.
Turkish bath!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, what a shock it must be, to walk from the outside, to the inside! ,-))))))
So, where that first orange sign, is...... Leads one into the lane that leads to nowhere. But has a few houses, on one side of it. How interesting.
I'm sure there is history, to the place. The "why" of how it was built... The "why" of how it is now... "going nowhere." ,-)
The houses along the lane used to form part of a grand farming estate, they are all in private ownership nowadays - very nice houses, with largish gardens, quiet location and attractive views. In much earlier times there was a village there, hence the location of the church. Earthworks and broken pottery are all that remain of the medieval village - plus the church, of course!
DeleteI forget where you are located... Generally, I mean. I don't ask for specifics.
ReplyDeleteOur oldest granddaughter is hopping on a plane, this evening... To visit her BF, who is working for a year, for his US company, but at an office in the UK. To Lincoln, to be specific.
Of course I've looked at maps of the UK. And found Lincoln. And etc. And will be checking weather reports. :-)
But wondering if my blogging friends, are any where in the vicinity of Lincoln. :-)
Only if you want to reply...
Your granddaughter is a lucky girl, Lincoln is a beautiful city. Small, compact, absolutely filled with history and very beautiful. Lots to see and do, so expect to see some wonderful photographs.
DeleteWe live about an hour away from there, heading towards the coast. So don't worry - should there be an emergency of any kind (which there won't be) you do 'know' someone over here and not too far away. Just for peace of mind. It sounds as though we are set for a spell of unusually warm and sunny weather, so once again, she is a lucky girl, that doesn't often happen.
Tell her parents to relax, Lincoln is a lovely place. She will have a great holiday...and don't you worry either.
He met her at the airport, and they were going by train... Up to Lincoln.
DeleteAnd her mom said, that she said it's quite warm. The weather I looked at, said lovely the whole week. :-)
She's a "big girl," and a career woman, and all, but she is still our "little Kate". :-) And it's really quite exciting, to me, actually.
Thank you Dear One!
Enjoy your week of lovely summer weather!
Too clean for a loo, I'd go with the bath and what were they thinking?
ReplyDeleteHello hart, I suppose it was the 'fashion' at the time. Perhaps the architect commissioned to do the project (James Fowler) was influenced by Pugin and the Victorian Gothic style..
DeleteIf the outside were different and in the style of the inside it wouldn't be such a shocker to see. From your title I was all prepared for you to say the place was being used for manicures and pedicures and bathing. But a church? Too bad the restoration didn't return it to its original finishes.
ReplyDeleteGosh, that is just a tad OTT isn't it? Know what you mean about the proto-migraine - those zig-zags. Too busy, and rather Turkish Bath. A neighbour had a bungalow designed so that the lane close to the front wall wouldn't have a view into the property - they had plate-glass floor to ceiling wall to wall glass at the back, looking down the river. Unfortunately the look from the roadside shrieks Public Toilets to me - with small windows right at the top!
ReplyDeleteWell, I've never been to a Turkish Bath so I'd have to go with Victorian Loo. Some of the work is beautiful on it's own, but I have to agree with you that it is a bit too "busy" for my tastes.
ReplyDeleteSir John Betjeman lived only a short way from where I am at the moment, ironically right next door to the church, they have window in the church to his memory but I do take his point the church does look how he said more like a loo. Don't think I have seen one that bad so far. I'd have complained about the sign being misleading
ReplyDelete